The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-08-12
No Great Criminals,
SOME ROMANTIC IDEAS pIsrELLED BY AN
EXPERIENCED "CRooK."


have been reading and l suppose
everybody has been reading too, about
great criminals in the newspapers. The
boastfulness Of the detective and the
imagination of the reporter have com.
bined to make some interesting read
ing, but if you recall what you have
read you will find that very few grea,
crimes have been committed. One OF
two professional forgers, half score
of burglars, cluster Of confidence men,
and the whole list is exhausted. The
fact is there is no such army of Grimm.
ais fertile of expedient, ready of de-
vice, watchful of every chance to
break in and steal, as the police would
have you believe.
/ was looking over the criminal lis,
the other day of the convicted pro-
fessionals confined in New Y ork state
They were numerous enough, but theii
crimes were contemptibly small. To
make your Vidocq, you must have frs,
your great criminal and his great
crime. The American Vidocq, makes
himself with these two essentials left
out; and having opportunity to talk
with one of the alleged great Grimm.
ale, he confirmed my belief in the Wis
ionary character of these shrewd and
clever rascals with no greater effort
than revealing his own stupidity.
hunted up another, professional who
has repeated his offenses sufficiently to
entitle him to any other distinction
than that of an honest man. l would
mention that he wears stripes now, ex-
cept that il might draw from the value
of his statements in the minds of some
who are too easily prejudiced. Any
way he is better authority than the po.
lice, whose vanity in their own capac-
ity may be proper pride, but leads to
some mighty tall lying.
"The fact is that professional thieves
and rogues are not numerous in any
locality, and if crime were the sole
source of support for the few hundreds
who are so classed most of them would
be hungry many times every year.
Men who steal whenever they get a
chance always have some other occu-
patton, and it is fact tbst the legiti-
mate one is more profitable than the
illegitimate one in nine cases out of
ten." Thus began my informant,
Wesley Allen, the pickpocket.
"But in this city there is a asst army
of professional criminals" said, "men
who are classified and whose industries
have special forms, implying cunning
and originality
''My dear sir, you have been reading
the newspapers or talking to detectives.
There isn't dozen. If really clever
men-if men with modicum of brains
that belong to clever people-were to
devote their talents to roguery society
couldn't exist. The methods employ
ed by thieves, for example, to attain
their ends look very cunning and well
planed to one to whom they are first
revealed. But take any one of them
and examine it and you will see how
fiinsy it is. A sneak thief wants to
get into the till of a corner grocery.
His accomplce comes with tape line
and begins to measure the sidewalk in
front of the door, or to measure the
wall, or comes in wagon and begins
to throw out a lot of boxes. The gro
Ger steps out to inquire; is held in con-
versation, asked to hold the end of the
measure or pass back the boxes; the
sneak is 10 and away, and the trick is
off. A saloon keeper is known to keep
a pocketbook stuffed with money in
the inner pocket of his vest. The pick
pocket knows it is a difficult place to
touch. Two accomplices come in when
he is alone, both of them laughing
heartily-one with tape measure.
We'll, that was dead loss for me,
says one. Set 'em up. They laugh,
ask the saloon keeper to drink and ex-
plain that they were betting on the
girth of a neighbor' The saloon keep
er becomes interested; the more so as
the rounds are being called and then
the loser wants to get even. A bottle
of wine is staked and the victim asked
to measure, the new bet being on his
girth. Objection is taken to the vest;
off it comes and the sneak thief-a
third party--soon has the leather"
"Now, that's artful, certainly" said
L.
"No such thing, it is most trans
parent and simple. 1t couldn't succeed
if it were not that the victim is fool
But these are exceptional cases of such
good planning as crooks can do. But,
after all, suppose man of brains
real brains, such as you know plenty
of-were TO devote himself to the plan.
ming of ways to get other peoples mon
ey without an equivalent, and went al
it with the energy that men give to the
practice OF their profession or to the
pursuits of commerce, where would
such schemes as this be? Nowhere
You hear of a great burglary. Phe
newspapers which report it dwell upon
the fact that it had been carefully plan
ned and that the house had been plot
ted, for diagram, which the rascals
had left in their flight, was found
What's to hinder any man from learn
ing every room and every door in New
York cityi There's the builders plans
the insurance companies plots and the
building departments open files. A
little watching and good deal Of
guessing makes up the rest of the
burglars knowledge. Of course, his
tools are of the finest workmanship.
Ratsl The chances are ten to one thai
they consist of bar of iron, which be.
ing carried by burglar is called a
'jimmy;" dark lantern, copper ham
mer, chisel and flask of powder
and handkerchief with holes in it to
see through for a mask
''But there are cases where mer
have gone further than make a few
hasty preparations; have hired adjoin
ing stores and tunneled and burrowed
into banks and vaults with infinite
patience and labor
'Bab! How many? You say ten
and ! say one. Whatever you say ]
will allow 10 per cent. off. But car
on recall any7"
"Well, the Covington, KY, bank.
"That's ore. You can't go on. But
there have been probably twenty rob-
berries committed in that way in the
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